A loss, again 2008

polystyrene coated in fibreglass, resin and sand

250 x 340 x 250 cm

A loss, again examines loss and memory in a highly specific case: that of the locked tool shed of van Hout’s father. Throughout van Hout’s boyhood, the shed was locked and inaccessible. It was only after his father’s death that van Hout was allowed access. As the shed had been a source of fascination for so long, it was a bittersweet moment for him to finally get inside.

Van Hout has created two replicas of the shed – one of which contains the contents of the original: tools, ropes, shelves, boxes, a fridge. The other replica shed is empty. Both sheds, like the original, remain inaccessible. 

Van Hout’s work abounds with replicas, usually based on self-portraits: plastic head casts, life-sized body doubles, videotaped monologues. In this case, he has created a portrait of both himself and his father by creating these sheds, doubled for ‘father’ and ‘son’.